arXiv subjects

M. Malheiro

Publications and source records attributed to M. Malheiro.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

AGN feeding along a one-armed spiral in NGC 4593: A study using ALMA CO(2-1) observations

We investigate active galactic nuclei (AGN) feeding through the molecular gas (CO(2-1) emission) properties of the local Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4593, using Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations and other multi-wavelength data. Our study aims to understand the interplay between the AGN and the interstellar medium (ISM) in this galaxy, examining the role of the AGN in steering gas dynamics within its host galaxy, evaluating the energy injected into the ISM, and determining whether gas is inflowing or outflowing from the galaxy. After reducing the ALMA CO(2-1) images, we employed two models, 3D-Barolo and DISCFIT, to construct a disc model and fit its emission to the ALMA data. Additionally, we used photometric data to build a spectral energy distribution (SED) and applied the CIGALE code to derive key physical properties of the AGN and its host. Our analysis reveals a complex interplay within NGC 4593, including a clear rotational pattern, the influence of a non-axisymmetric bar potential, and a central molecular zone (CMZ)-like ring. We observe an outflow of CO(2-1) gas along the minor axis, at a distance of approximately 220 pc from the nucleus. The total molecular gas mass is estimated to be between $1 - 5 \times 10^8 \, M_{\odot}$, with non-circular motions contributing about 10\%. Our SED analysis indicates an AGN fraction of 0.88 and a star formation rate (SFR) of 0.42 $M_{\odot} \, \text{yr}^{-1}$. These findings highlight the complex dynamics in the centre of NGC 4593, which are significantly influenced by the presence of the AGN. The overall physical properties of this system suggest that the AGN has a substantial impact on the evolution of NGC 4593.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Orbital decay of double white dwarfs: beyond gravitational wave radiation effects

The traditional description of the orbital evolution of compact-object binaries, like double white dwarfs (DWDs), assumes that the system is driven only by gravitational wave (GW) radiation. However, the high magnetic fields with intensities of up to gigagauss measured in WDs alert a potential role of the electromagnetic (EM) emission in the evolution of DWDs. We evaluate the orbital dynamics of DWDs under the effects of GW radiation, tidal synchronization, and EM emission by a unipolar inductor generated by the magnetic primary and the relative motion of the non-magnetic secondary. We show that the EM emission can affect the orbital dynamics for magnetic fields larger than megagauss. We applied the model to two known DWDs, SDSS J0651+2844 and ZTF J1539+5027, for which the GW radiation alone does not fully account for the measured orbital decay rate. We obtain upper limits to the primary's magnetic field strength, over which the EM emission causes an orbital decay faster than observed. The contribution of tidal locking and the EM emission is comparable, and together they can contribute up to $20\%$ to the measured orbital decay rate. We show that the gravitational waveform for a DWD modeled as purely driven by GWs and including tidal interactions and EM emission can have large relative dephasing detectable in the mHz regime of frequencies relevant for space-based detectors like LISA. Therefore, including physics besides GW radiation in the waveform templates is essential to calibrate the GW detectors using known sources, e.g., ZTF J1539+5027, and to infer binary parameters.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Quark stars with 2.6 $M_\odot$ in a non-minimal geometry-matter coupling theory of gravity

This work analyses the hydrostatic equilibrium configurations of strange stars in a non-minimal geometry-matter coupling (GMC) theory of gravity. Those stars are made of strange quark matter, whose distribution is governed by the MIT equation of state. The non-minimal GMC theory is described by the following gravitational action: $f(R,L)=R/2+L+σRL$, where $R$ represents the curvature scalar, $L$ is the matter Lagrangian density, and $σ$ is the coupling parameter. When considering this theory, the strange stars become larger and more massive. In particular, when $σ=50$ km$^2$, the theory can achieve the 2.6 $M_\odot$, which is suitable for describing the pulsars PSR J2215+5135 and PSR J1614-2230, and the mass of the secondary object in the GW190814 event. The 2.6 $M_\odot$ is a value hardly achievable in General Relativity even considering fast rotation effects, and is also compatible with the mass of PSR J0952-0607 ($M = 2.35 \pm 0.17 ~M_\odot$), the heaviest and fastest pulsar in the disk of the Milky Way, recently measured, supporting the possible existence of strange quark matter in its composition. The non-minimal GMC theory can also give feasible results to describe the macroscopical features of strange star candidates.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Neutron stars in $f(\mathcal{R,T})$ gravity using realistic equations of state in the light of massive pulsars and GW170817

In this work we investigate neutron stars (NS) in $f(\mathcal{R,T})$ gravity for the case $R+2λ\mathcal{T}$, $\mathcal{R}$ is the Ricci scalar and $\mathcal{T}$ the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. The hydrostatic equilibrium equations are solved considering realistic equations of state (EsoS). The NS masses and radii obtained are subject to a joint constrain from massive pulsars and the event GW170817. The parameter $λ$ needs to be negative as in previous NS studies, however we found a minimum value for it. The value should be $|λ|\lesssim0.02$ and the reason for so small value in comparison with previous ones obtained with simpler EsoS is due to the existence of the NS crust. The pressure in theory of gravity depends on the inverse of the sound velocity $v_s$. Since, $v_s$ is low in the crust, $|λ|$ need to be very small. We found that the increment in the star mass is less than $1\%$, much smaller than previous ones obtained not considering the realistic stellar structure, and the star radius cannot become larger, its changes compared to GR is less than $3.6\%$ in all cases. The finding that using several relativistic and non-relativistic models the variation on the NS mass and radius are almost the same for all the EsoS, manifests that our results are insensitive to the high density part of the EsoS. It confirms that stellar mass and radii changes depend only on crust, where the EoS is essentially the same for all the models. The NS crust effect implying very small values of $|λ|$ does not depend on the theory's function chosen, since for any other one the hydrostatic equilibrium equation would always have the dependence $1/v_s$. Finally, we highlight that our results indicate that conclusions obtained from NS studies done in modified theories of gravity without using realistic EsoS that describe correctly the NS interior can be unreliable.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Kinematic Constraints on Spatial Curvature from Supernovae Ia and Cosmic Chronometers

An approach to estimate the spatial curvature $Ω_k$ from data independently of dynamical models is suggested, through kinematic parameterizations of the comoving distance ($D_{C}(z)$) with third degree polynomial, of the Hubble parameter ($H(z)$) with a second degree polynomial and of the deceleration parameter ($q(z)$) with first order polynomial. All these parameterizations were done as function of redshift $z$. We used SNe Ia dataset from Pantheon compilation with 1048 distance moduli estimated in the range $0.01<z<2.3$ with systematic and statistical errors and a compilation of 31 $H(z)$ data estimated from cosmic chronometers. The spatial curvature found for $D_C(z)$ parametrization was $Ω_{k}=-0.03^{+0.24+0.56}_{-0.30-0.53}$. The parametrization for deceleration parameter $q(z)$ resulted in $Ω_{k}=-0.08^{+0.21+0.54}_{-0.27-0.45}$. The $H(z)$ parametrization has shown incompatibilities between $H(z)$ and SNe Ia data constraints, so these analyses were not combined. The $D_C(z)$ and $q(z)$ parametrizations are compatible with the spatially flat Universe as predicted by many inflation models and data from CMB. This type of analysis is very appealing as it avoids any bias because it does not depend on assumptions about the matter content of the Universe for estimating $Ω_k$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Hydrostatic equilibrium configurations of neutron stars in a non-minimal geometry-matter coupling theory of gravity

In this work we analyze hydrostatic equilibrium configurations of neutron stars in a non-minimal geometry-matter coupling (GMC) theory of gravity. We begin with the derivation of the hydrostatic equilibrium equations for the $f(R,L) $ gravity theory, where $R$ and $L$ are the Ricci scalar and Lagrangian of matter, respectively. We assume $f(R,L)=R/2+[1+σR]L$, with $σ$ constant. To describe matter inside neutron stars we assume the polytropic equation of state $p=K ρ^γ$, with $K$ and $γ= 5/3 $ being constants. We show that in this theory it is possible to reach the mass of massive pulsars such as PSR J2215+5135. As a feature of the GMC theory, very compact neutron stars with radius $\sim8$km and $M\sim 2.6M_\odot$ are stable, thus surpassing the Buchdal and Schwarzschild radius limits. Moreover, the referred stellar diameter is obtained within the range of observational data.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Strange stars in energy-momentum-conserved $f(R,T)$ gravity

For the accurate understanding of compact objects such as neutron stars and strange stars, the Tolmann-Openheimer-Volkof (TOV) equation has proved to be of great use. Hence, in this work, we obtain the TOV equation for the energy-momentum-conserved $f(R,T)$ theory of gravity to study strange quark stars. The $f(R,T)$ theory is important, especially in cosmology, because it solves certain incompleteness of the standard model. In general, there is no intrinsic conservation of the energy-momentum tensor in the $f(R,T)$ gravity. Since this conservation is important in the astrophysical context, we impose the condition $\nabla T_{μν}=0$, so that we obtain a function $f(R,T)$ that implies conservation. This choice of a function $f(R,T)$ that conserves the momentum-energy tensor gives rise to a strong link between gravity and the microphysics of the compact object. We obtain the TOV by taking into account a linear equation of state to describe the matter inside strange stars, such as $p=ωρ$ and the MIT bag model $p=ω(ρ-4B)$. With these assumptions it was possible to derive macroscopic properties of these objects.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Study of the charged super-Chandrasekhar limiting mass white dwarfs in the $f(R,\mathcal{T})$ gravity

The equilibrium configuration of white dwarfs composed of a charged perfect fluid are investigated in the context of the $f(R,\mathcal{T})$ gravity, for which $R$ and $\mathcal{T}$ stand for the Ricci scalar and the trace of the energy-momentum tensor, respectively. By considering the functional form $f(R, \mathcal{T})=R+2χ\mathcal{T}$, where $χ$ is the matter-geometry coupling constant, and for a Gaussian ansatz for the electric distribution, some physical properties of charged white dwarfs were derived, namely: mass, radius, charge, electric field, effective pressure and energy density; their dependence on the parameter $χ$ was also derived. In particular, the $χ$ value important for the equilibrium configurations of charged white dwarfs has the same scale of $10^{-4}$ of that for non-charged stars and the order of the charge was $10^{20}$C, which is scales with the value of one solar mass, i.e., $\sqrt{G}M_\odot\sim 10^{20}$C. We have also shown that charged white dwarf stars in the context of the $f(R,\mathcal{T})$ have surface electric fields generally below the Schwinger limit of $1.3\times 10^{18}$V/m. In particular, a striking feature of the coupling between the effects of charge and $f(R,\mathcal{T})$ gravity theory is that the modifications in the background gravity increase the stellar radius, which in turn diminishes the surface electric field, thus enhancing stellar stability of charged stars. Most importantly, our study reveals that the present $f(R,T)$ gravity model can suitably explain the super-Chandrasekhar limiting mass white dwarfs, which are supposed to be the reason behind the over-luminous SNeIa and remain mostly unexplained in the background of general relativity (GR).

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2019

A unique equation of state for the universe evolution from AdS$_5$ space-time

We apply the Induced Matter Model to a five-dimensional metric. For the case with null cosmological constant, we obtain a solution able to describe the radiation-dominated era of the universe. The positive $Λ$ case yields a bounce cosmological model. In the negative five-dimensional cosmological constant case, the scale factor is obtained as $a(t)\sim\sqrt[]{\sinh t}$, which is able to describe not only the late-time cosmic acceleration but also the non-accelerated stages of the cosmic expansion in a continuous form. This solution together with the extra-dimensional scale factor solution yields the material content of the model to be remarkably related through an equation of state analogous to the renowned MIT bag model equation of state for quark matter $p=(ρ-4B)/3$. In our case, $ρ=ρ_m+B$, with $ρ_m$ being the energy density of relativistic and non-relativistic matter and $B=\ Λ /16π$ represents the bag energy constant, which plays the role of the dark energy in the four-dimensional universe, with $Λ$ being the cosmological constant of the AdS$_5$ space-time. Our model satisfactorily fits the observational data for the low redshift sample of the experimental measurement of the Hubble parameter, which resulted in $H_0=72.2^{+5.3}_{-5.5}$km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

A conservative energy-momentum tensor in the $f(R,T)$ gravity and its implications for the phenomenology of neutron stars

The solutions for the Tolmann-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (TOV) equation bring valuable informations about the macroscopical features of compact astrophysical objects as neutron stars. They are sensitive to both the equation of state considered for nuclear matter and the background gravitational theory. In this work we construct the TOV equation for a conservative version of the $f(R,T)$ gravity. While the non-vanishing of the covariant derivative of the $f(R,T)$ energy-momentum tensor yields, in a cosmological perspective, the prediction of creation of matter throughout the universe evolution as shown by T. Harko, in the analysis of the hydrostatic equilibrium of compact astrophysical objects, this property still lacks a convincing physical explanation. The imposition of $\nabla^μT_{μν}=0$ demands a particular form for the function $h(T)$ in $f(R,T)=R+h(T)$, which is here derived. Therefore, the choice of a specific equation of state for the star matter demands a unique form of $h(T)$, manifesting a strong connection between conserved $f(R,T)$ gravity and the star matter constitution. We construct and solve the TOV equation for the general equation of state for $p=kρ^Γ$, with $k$ being the EoS parameter, $ρ$ {\it the energy density} and $Γ$ is the adiabatic index. We also derive the macroscopical properties of neutron stars ($Γ=5/3$) within this approach.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Nuclear processes in Astrophysics: Recent progress

The origin of the elements is a fascinating question that scientists have been trying to answer for the last seven decades. The formation of light elements in the primordial universe and heavier elements in astrophysical sources occurs through nuclear reactions. We can say that nuclear processes are responsible for the production of energy and synthesis of elements in the various astrophysical sites. Thus, nuclear reactions have a determining role in the existence and evolution of several astrophysical environments, from the Sun to the spectacular explosions of supernovae. Nuclear astrophysics attempts to address the most basic and important questions of our existence and future. There are still many issues that are unresolved such as, how stars and our Galaxy have formed and how they evolve, how and where are the heaviest elements made, what is the abundance of nuclei in the universe and what is the nucleosynthesis output of the various production processes and why the amount of lithium-7 observed is less than predicted. In this paper, we review our current understanding of the different astrophysical nuclear processes leading to the formation of chemical elements and pay particular attention to the formation of heavy elements occurring during high-energy astrophysical events. Thanks to the recent multi-messenger observation of a binary neutron star merger, which also confirmed production of heavy elements, explosive scenarios such as short gamma-ray bursts and the following kilonovae are now strongly supported as nucleosynthesis sites.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

Compact Astrophysical Objects in $f(R,T)$ gravity

In this article we study the hydrostatic equilibrium configuration of neutron stars (NSs) and strange stars (SSs), whose fluid pressure is computed from the equations of state $p=ωρ^{5/3}$ and $p=0.28(ρ-4{\cal B})$, respectively, with $ω$ and ${\cal B}$ being constants and $ρ$ the energy density of the fluid. We also study white dwarfs (WDs) equilibrium configurations. We start by deriving the hydrostatic equilibrium equation for the $f(R,T)$ theory of gravity, with $R$ and $T$ standing for the Ricci scalar and trace of the energy-momentum tensor, respectively. Such an equation is a generalization of the one obtained from general relativity, and the latter can be retrieved for a certain limit of the theory. For the $f(R,T)=R+2λT$ functional form, with $λ$ being a constant, we find that some physical properties of the stars, such as pressure, energy density, mass and radius, are affected when $λ$ is changed. We show that for some particular values of the constant $λ$, some observed objects that are not predicted by General Relativity theory of gravity can be attained. Moreover, since gravitational fields are smaller for WDs than for NSs or SSs, the scale parameter $λ$ used for WDs is small when compared to the values used for NSs and SSs.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

White dwarfs with a surface electrical charge distribution: Equilibrium and stability

The equilibrium configuration and the radial stability of white dwarfs composed of charged perfect fluid are investigated. These cases are analyzed through the results obtained from the solution of the hydrostatic equilibrium equation. We regard that the fluid pressure and the fluid energy density follow the relation of a fully degenerate electron gas. For the electric charge distribution in the object, we consider that it is centralized only close to the white dwarfs' surfaces. We obtain larger and more massive white dwarfs when the total electric charge is increased. To appreciate the effects of the electric charge in the structure of the star, we found that it must be in the order of $10^{20}\,[{\rm C}]$ with which the electric field is about $10^{16}\,[{\rm V/cm}]$. For white dwarfs with electric fields close to the Schwinger limit, we obtain masses around $2\,M_{\odot}$. We also found that in a system constituted by charged static equilibrium configurations, the maximum mass point found on it marks the onset of the instability. This indicates that the necessary and sufficient conditions to recognize regions constituted by stable and unstable equilibrium configurations against small radial perturbations are respectively $dM/dρ_c>0$ and $dM/dρ_c<0$.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

General Relativistic effects in the structure of massive white dwarfs

In this work we investigate the structure of white dwarfs using the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations and compare our results with those obtained from Newtonian equations of gravitation in order to put in evidence the importance of General Relativity (GR) for the structure of such stars. We consider in this work for the matter inside white dwarfs two equations of state, frequently found in the literature, namely, the Chandrasekhar and Salpeter equations of state. We find that using Newtonian equilibrium equations, the radii of massive white dwarfs ($M>1.3M_{\odot}$) are overestimated in comparison with GR outcomes. For a mass of $1.415M_{\odot}$ the white dwarf radius predicted by GR is about 33\% smaller than the Newtonian one. Hence, in this case, for the surface gravity the difference between the general relativistic and Newtonian outcomes is about 65\%. We depict the general relativistic mass-radius diagrams as $M/M_{\odot}=R/(a+bR+cR^2+dR^3+kR^4)$, where $a$, $b$, $c$ and $d$ are parameters obtained from a fitting procedure of the numerical results and $k=(2.08\times 10^{-6}R_{\odot})^{-1}$, being $R_{\odot}$ the radius of the Sun in km. Lastly, we point out that GR plays an important role to determine any physical quantity that depends, simultaneously, on the mass and radius of massive white dwarfs.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Stellar equilibrium configurations of white dwarfs in the $f(R,T)$ gravity

In this work we investigate the equilibrium configurations of white dwarfs in a modified gravity theory, na\-mely, $f(R,T)$ gravity, for which $R$ and $T$ stand for the Ricci scalar and trace of the energy-momentum tensor, respectively. Considering the functional form $f(R,T)=R+2λT$, with $λ$ being a constant, we obtain the hydrostatic equilibrium equation for the theory. Some physical properties of white dwarfs, such as: mass, radius, pressure and energy density, as well as their dependence on the parameter $λ$ are derived. More massive and larger white dwarfs are found for negative values of $λ$ when it decreases. The equilibrium configurations predict a maximum mass limit for white dwarfs slightly above the Chandrasekhar limit, with larger radii and lower central densities when compared to standard gravity outcomes. The most important effect of $f(R,T)$ theory for massive white dwarfs is the increase of the radius in comparison with GR and also $f(R)$ results. By comparing our results with some observational data of massive white dwarfs we also find a lower limit for $λ$, namely, $λ>- 3\times 10^{-4}$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Temperature effects on nuclear pseudospin symmetry in the Dirac-Hartree-Bogoliubov formalism

We present finite temperature Dirac-Hartree-Bogoliubov (FTDHB) calculations for the tin isotope chain to study the dependence of pseudospin on the nuclear temperature. In the FTDHB calculation, the density dependence of the self-consistent relativistic mean fields, the pairing, and the vapor phase that takes into account the unbound nucleon states are considered self-consistently. The mean field potentials obtained in the FTDHB calculations are fit by Woods-Saxon (WS) potentials to examine how the WS parameters are related to the energy splitting of the pseudospin pairs as the temperature increases. We find that the nuclear potential surface diffuseness is the main driver for the pseudospin splittings and that it increases as the temperature grows. We conclude that pseudospin symmetry is better realized when the nuclear temperature increases. The results confirm the findings of previous works using RMF theory at $T=0$, namely that the correlation between the pseudospin splitting and the parameters of the Woods-Saxon potentials implies that pseudospin symmetry is a dynamical symmetry in nuclei. We show that the dynamical nature of the pseudospin symmetry remains when the temperature is considered in a realistic calculation of the tin isotopes, such as that of the Dirac-Hartree-Bogoliubov formalism.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2017

Generalizing spin and pseudospin symmetries for relativistic spin 1/2 fermions

We propose a generalization of pseudospin and spin symmetries, the SU(2) symmetries of Dirac equation with scalar and vector mean-field potentials originally found independently in the 70's by Smith and Tassie, and Bell and Ruegg. As relativistic symmetries, they have been extensively researched and applied to several physical systems for the last 18 years. The main feature of these symmetries is the suppression of the spin-orbit coupling either in the upper or lower components of the Dirac spinor, thereby turning the respective second-order equations into Schrödinger-like equations, i.e, without a matrix structure. In this paper we use the original formalism of Bell and Ruegg to derive general requirements for the Lorentz structures of potentials in order to have these SU(2) symmetries in the Dirac equation, again allowing for the suppression of the matrix structure of the second-order equation of either the upper or lower components of the Dirac spinor. Furthermore, we derive equivalent conditions for spin and pseudospin symmetries with 2- and 1-dimensional potentials and list some possible candidates for 3, 2, and 1 dimensions. We suggest applications for physical systems in three and two dimensions, namely electrons in graphene.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Ultra-high energy cosmic rays from white dwarf pulsars and the Hillas criterion

The sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays ($E\gtrsim10^{19}$ eV) is still an open question in astroparticle physics and in the last years some efforts were made to understand its origin. In this work we consider white dwarf pulsars (WDPs) as possible sources of these ultra energetic particles. If some Soft Gamma Repeaters (SGRs) and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs) are considered as white dwarf pulsars, these sources can achieve large electromagnetic potentials on its surface and possibly accelerate particle almost of speed of light and with energies $E \sim 10^{20-21}$ eV. We show that the new scale of star surface magnetic field and size of SGRs/AXPs as very magnetized white dwarfs are well described in the Hillas diagram together with the AR Sorpii and AE Aquarii white dwarf pulsars recently found. SGRs/AXPs described as magnetars are much above the Hillas line and out of it is expected for normal neutron star pulsars.

astro-ph.HE↗